Forbidden Order
by TheMysteriousStranger1
Summary: After the escape on Crait, the fight is far from over. While Rey must battle for the light and dark to find her own path, Kylo begins to relent fighting his internal struggle to want Rey as his impatience grows.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its properties.

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_It has been a month since the escape on Crait. With a handful of rebels, Finn, Poe, Rose and Rey are making use what few alliances they have left to build a network of new recruits. General Organa is in poor health, but clings onto the hope that she knows will bring justice to the galaxy. While the others are doing what they can, Rey is trekking through the snowy arctic scape of the planet Illum, in search of something…._

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**Part I, Chapter I**

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Rey blinked away the snow in her eyelashes as she trudged through the dense white expanse. Each step took a tremendous bout of strength to overcome, and she had sharply staked her staff into the snowfield to pull herself forward each time.

She had never experienced such cold-the most she had felt was a desert night nip on Jakku. The novelty of snowflakes had worn off when she set foot on Illum and realized winter could be violent, harsh and unbearable. By now, the storm had picked up and the winds pushed mercilessly against her wrapped frame. Even with insulated garb and boots, the frigid air was piercing. But at last she arrived at her destination: it was just as the holotapes mentioned.

Before her was a complex of glacial caves, so large and unnerving it shadowed over her like an eclipse.

With her last bit of might, Rey made her way to the mouth of the cave which was situated at the base of the glacier.

When finally inside, it felt like she could breathe again. She pulled down her cowl and let out an exasperated sigh. The temperature had changed so drastically from the exterior to within the temple entrance that the hoarfrost on her brows and lashes had melted. She looked around once she caught her breath and almost had it taken away by her amazement. Before her stood massive Jedi structures: two hooded stone statues with their lightsabers drawn. They were surrounded by obelisks erected from stone in the rounded floor; capped in silver alloy to resemble crystals.

Rey looked up and nearly fell on her back: the ceiling was nearly as high as the glacier itself, and from the top to the base stood a frozen wall: a still waterfall. There were so many places to look, but Rey had to be meticulous with her time. The holotapes were very particular about using time as a tool to access the caves. She looked around carefully, and spotted a dangling cradle from the ceiling: and within it, a grand kyber crystal. There was so much to harvest within that ornament, but she knew it would be too difficult to reach.

The ancient Jedi were very erudite in their ways and would not make it so simple for padawans to get what they came for. She looked around once more, and at last it became clear. A small passage in the skylight allowed a sliver of sunlight to reflect off of the grand kyber crystal, and onto the waterfall. Rey spotted this weak point: where the radiance had melted the integrity of a spot of the waterfall. She climbed over stone and made her way to it, where a simple thud of her staff caused it to break open and reveal the entrance.

'_Ah. That's clever. I suppose wit was mastered before the force was.' _

She stepped in the dark chamber, where only the sound of dripping stalactites could be heard.

'_Focus. Focus on what you need to find.' _

She closed her eyes and let the force guide her. This was a sacred place for the Jedi, and she could feel it in every breath. She reached out, expecting to find a distinct path to what she needed. But there were echoes. Voices began to flood her mind, and anxiety ensued. The presence of the force was imminent here, but it was manifesting her fears as well.

"_Darkness…."_

"_Let it call to you…." _

Rey began to stagger, losing focus of herself as the dark engulfed her.

"..._When the time comes, you'll be the one to turn. You''ll stand with me, Rey." _

The distorted resonance of Kylo's voice overwhelmed her mind. Just like the force connected her to this place, it connected Kylo.

"Kylo-Ben. He's been here before. I can feel it." She said aloud, as her echo rumbled throughout the deep tenebrosity of the cave.

She strained her brows as she began to see visions...Ben as a padawan...and other young students…in the same place with….Luke Skywalker. She saw visions of him leading his pupils through the caves, each on their path to find their kyber crystal-which was solely something only they could see. A young Ben reached out and began to dig away at the walls of the cave to excavate a beautiful blue kyber crystal.

"_Master!" _his voice echoed in the memory.

"_I found it! I found my crystal!"_

Rey's head began to ring as the vision faded into a dissonance of colors and sounds.

'_Their crystals called out to them...and so mine is here...a single crystal…' _

She concentrated her energy as she let the force guide her. It took a variety of forms and revealed many meandering paths, but she directed it toward her intention: _her _crystal.

'_Where are you?'_

A single path began to call to her-and she began to follow it, walking deep within the darkness of the cave with only the sight of her force path to lead her. Finally, she had come to a halt at a wall covered in rock formation.

'_This has to be it. I was led here, I just need to find a way.'_

She kicked at the wall and slammed it with her staff, but the rock was unshaken.

'_Focus…'_

She stretched her arm out, inches away from the rock as it began to tremble. A tremor began to break the outer layer, and revealed beneath it was a glistening wall of crystal. Rey felt the pressure seize upon her fingertips as she finally relented and looked at the wonder before her.

She saw her crystal, and it moved through a gentle force pull into her palm as she enclosed it with her fingertips.

She smiled looking at the Adegan silver crystal in her hand, bemused at the idea of having her own lightsaber.

'_At last,'_ she thought.

* * *

Finn awoke with an intense jolt. It was enough to rock the power and cleaning droids onto the floor. The two droids rattled angrily and pittered out of the room as Finn sat up and threw off his covers. "Sorry." he murmured.

"Finn, buddy? You doing ok? I saw two gonks storming outta the room and thought you did something to set them off."

Poe entered his room, sitting next to Finn and patting him hard on the back.

"I was kidding about the gonks. Move just a little and they get all pissed. Ain't it cute? I-" Poe stopped talking and looked at his friend, who stared into the distance with disturbance.

"I had a dream…" Finn began.

"A nightmare?"

"No...well, it didn't start off as one. But things got worse and Rey-" Finn trailed off. He didn't want to think about it.

"Hey, hey listen. Rey is fine. She's going to be back soon. She told us in her message she was going to be in Adrathorpe in a few days after Illum. And you know Rey...Rey is…"

"Resilient." Finn added confidently.

"Well, I was going to say difficult to tolerate at times, but that works." Poe nudged Finn and he allowed himself relax with a chuckle.

"Well, I think she's brave for going to Illum." Finn fiddled with his fingers as he thought of the brisk cold Rey would have to endure. "That place is completely deserted. Even the First Order don't touch that part of the sector, and it's loaded with the good stuff."

'_But is risking your life alone just to get a crystal worth it?' _Finn thought. He had tried to convince Rey to let him accompany her, but she told him it was something she had to do on her own.

"Well, this Jedi gig seems important to her and it also makes Leia happy. She just won't shut up about doting on Rey, I swear!"

"How is the general doing, Poe?"

Poe went quiet for a moment and swallowed.

"She...she's doing alright for now. I just got back from her at the med bay….she needs a delta wave inducer for sleep and is hooked up on the drip...but she's conscious and better than before."

"I can't imagine what she's going through."

"Neither can I." Poe sighed. "Losing a husband and a brother puts a big enough weight on the heart. I've told her she isn't going to do anything other than rest and get better before she puts a hand in this war again."

"Do you think she'll listen?"

Poe smiled. "Probably not. It's Leia we're talking about."

* * *

"Finn, what's wrong?" Rose said, as she awoke from her nap in the cockpit where she was supposed to be fixing the ventilator.

An array of buttons softly blinked in the background as the vent sporadically buzzed.

Finn looked around to make sure no one was close by before kneeling next to Rose in a low voice.

"I need you to set a course for Adrathorpe."

"Adra-?!"

Finn shushed Rose before she could finish.

"Yes! You heard me. But you can't tell anybody. I need you to do this. Please."

Rose had a look of confusion on her face.

"Finn, I don't understand. That's way off course; we have to be in Coruscant for-"

"I know I know! But I'm asking you to do this for me, and I trust you."

Rose wrinkled her nose.

"And what might be the reason?"

Finn sighed heavily. "Listen. You want me to be honest? I-"

"It's Rey, isn't it?"

"Yes-I mean-well yeah. But let me explain, don't you see? Adrathorpe is a dangerous place! So much can go wrong, there's pirates roaming and thugs and-"

"And you don't think Rey is going to be upset that you came to watch over her? Like a stand-in bodyguard?"

"She might be, but it's for the greater good. She doesn't understand it like I do, I've seen the treachery of the galaxy."

"But Maz said she had a good friend there who was going to help her out with her lightsaber. Finn….look. Call it a hunch but I think you want to go for your _own_ assurance, not hers."

"So what if I do?"

Rose closed her eyes and exhaled, before pressing a series of buttons.

"I'm gonna regret this."

"Oh, thank you Rose! You're the best!" Finn said, as he placed an arm around her and gave her a quick embrace. Her cheeks reddened as he left through the corridor and she was almost caught off guard until the coms loudly erupted.

"Rose? What did you do to our ship's course? Poe said we were set for Coruscant." the lieutenant admiral said through the static channel.

"Sir? Uhh...we had to...detour. We need to pick something up."

"From where? And what?"

Rose hesitated. She looked at the map quickly, and thought of the first planet that came to mind on the same course.

"Jakku?"

"JAKKU?!"

"Yes, lieutenant admiral Rasi. Jakku."

"What could possibly be on Jakku?"

"Uhhh… that's classified, lieutenant admiral. Orders from admiral Poe himself."

Rasi scoffed.

"Rose, there are fifteen people on this ship including you and me. Nothing is classified. I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"With all due respect," Rose began, "admiral Poe is going through a turbulent time. He is very stressed about General Organa's conditions, and it might be...distasteful to be interrogating his intentions when he knows what's best for this crew. Wouldn't you agree?"

She crossed her fingers. There was no way this was going to work.

"Very well. You make a fair point, that would seem a tad selfish. Well, I trust the admiral if he knows what he's planning. But I will be back once he is in a better place. At ease."

'_Wow. It actually worked.' _Rose thought to herself, smirking. '_Maybe I really am a Jedi.'_

As she leaned back into her chair, the vent blew off and a puff of dirty air sprayed.

'_Or maybe not.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Star Wars or any of its properties. This story is made purely for entertainment. With that said, enjoy!**

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**Part I, Chapter II**

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_After the destruction of the Supremacy, the First Order is still at large. Crushing pocket-groups of resistance and alliances of the resistance, the Order still has a large presence on loyal planets. Galactic tariffs for corporal and diplomatic company passing through the Inner Rim system has allowed for a sufficient rebuilding of a new dreadnought...and a military hellbent on decimating its enemies from every reach of space._

* * *

"Supreme Leader…"

Hux had a spec of distaste in his mouth at the words. He grimaced having to have such a title of importance bestowed upon such a ghastly character like Kylo Ren.

Kylo's meditation room was dark-with only slight luminescence behind the panelling of the durasteel walls. He sat perched on a flat platform, dressed in his hood and mask. Surrounding him were troopers that could have been mistaken for shadows. The once crimson-clad Praetorian guard that protected Snoke were replaced with darkly dressed storm-troopers, each with staff-like Z6 batons and armed to the teeth with blaster rifles. Kylo knew how useful those would have been for the Praetorian guard on the _Supremacy_.

'_You find me pretentious? Undeserving? A shame.' _

Kylo's voice echoed within Hux's mind, and he was taken aback at such an invasive intrusion of his thoughts.

'_You're in my head? Well, "pretentious" isn't the word I would use...perhaps too gentle…'_

Kylo leaned forward and clenched.

Hux felt his vocal chords compress and tighten as he choked airlessly on his asphyxiation.

He was nearly lifted off the ground entirely, his toes brushing the floor, before Kylo finally relented and released his grasp. Hux fell to the ground, coughing violently.

"I expect the same respect you gave our previous Supreme Leader, Hux."

"I will attempt to, Supreme Leader. But besides the accordance of your power, we have greater issues."

"What type of issues caused you to disturb my meditation?"

"The rebels...they-there's been an abundant spike in the Incom-FreiTek's factory production on Coruscant. According to our intercepts, it appears they're expecting a convoy's worth of starfighters."

"Is there a way to ensure that this _is _reliable?"

"Yes, Supreme Leader. One of our infantry members on Coruscant claims he's seen it himself."

"Is he aboard the ship?"

"Yes, I thought you might ask."

"Bring him in."

After a minute or two, a single stormtrooper walked in, clutching his F-11D blaster to his chest in a rigid, soldierly fashion.

"So you saw it? Incom...making starfighters?" Kylo turned his head but didn't face the trooper. He simply stood on his platform, with his back turned to the trembling scout.

"Yes, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. I saw it with my own eyes. X-wi-"

Kylo spun around in a swift moment with a sharp motion of his hand, and the stormtrooper went flying backward into the wall. The durasteel sparked and fizzled from the impact as he fell to the ground in its debris with a pained grunt.

Hux stood upright and swallowed hoarsely.

He couldn't help but remember the abrasiveness of Snoke when he was irritated.

The current dynamic had drastically transformed between Hux and Kylo, and it appeared Kylo Ren became more unhinged and iron-handed with each passing day.

He had become fixated-almost obsessed-with becoming more powerful. Hux would be unable to reach Kylo for hours a day because he would be meditating and practicing combat. The hot scorch marks of Kylo's lightsaber incised into the walls was enough to know.

"X-wings? Do you think that insignificant smattering of resistance fighters can produce enough for an entire fleet? They're weak, reduced to nothing. They have neither the possessions nor support to rebuild. And we have the upper hand to cripple them again. Do what you must, General Hux."

"And what might that be?"

Kylo ignited his lightsaber.

"Let that be a warning."

Hux held his breath. "Yes, Supreme Leader. Whatever it takes."

With that, both the trooper and Hux departed.

Kylo sat onto his platform again. He sat cross-legged, placing his lightsaber at his feet and sitting upright.

Under his helmet, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. The force moved through him, but his visions were futile. There was nothing he could see besides his own memories. Clenching his teeth, he scoffed at this. One more time, he attempted to relay on one thought.

He tried to reach out, but it was no use.

The bond really was severed.

"Damn you!" He yelled, smashing his fist into the platform.

'_Master Snoke was the only one holding me back. I know killing him was the only way to uncover the true potential of the force and finish my training. But was he playing me like a fool with my force abilities? No, no. It was I who reached out to her. He had nothing to do with it. It was me.'_

But with each failed attempt, he grew weary of trying. Even if she didn't communicate back, he just wanted one connection with her; he _needed_ it. His anger would brim every time it didn't work. Maybe his doubt was justified. Perhaps his former master was right-it was nothing more than a trick. A manipulation to use Kylo to bring in fresh blood. And perhaps it was Rey's lack of trying on her end and her shutting him off from the force which severed their bond.

Kylo stormed out of the meditation chamber and down the corridor to his room, where he stood overlooking the window for a moment. He stared mutely at his reflection, then turning away to utter a word.

A name.


	3. Chapter 3

_Stay tuned! Next chapter is going to give more time to dark side characters, things are just taking off_

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**Part I, Chapter III**

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Rey smoothed her tunic with her hands as the doors lowered, slicing through a misty cloud of condensation. She had gotten rid of her taupe and grey clothing in favor of a crisp white ensemble. It was a colour that draped her better than the dreary greys of Ahch-to and felt suitable for her person.

When the mist dissipated, Rey took a deep breath in. The terrain was rugged and sandy-sort of like Jakku-but speckled with green where the land elevated. Far in the distance, the land faded into a sandy horizon fringed by a blue ocean. She expected a hot planet because of its proximity to the suns, but the greenery was always refreshing.

'_Life...I can sense it all around me. There's so many creatures here…'_

She took two steps forward off of the door's platform, when something began to feel strange. She felt the earth beneath her feet giving way. Rey looked down.

Quicksand.

She frantically pulled her knees up, but it was to no avail. She was sinking. Before she could think of what to do next, the sand began to swallow up to her calves, and it was pulling her in.

'_The force! Maybe I can use the force…'_

She tried to force-pull herself upward, but her entire body's mass combined with the lack of concentration in her predicament came of little use. By now, it was up to her knees.

"Help!" She cried, waving her arms and looking around. An obnoxiously loud '_squawk!' _could be heard in the distance, and a birdlike creature with eyestalks began to scurry out of the bushes.

'_Great.' _Rey thought_. 'A Bloggin. The dumbest creatures in the galaxy.'_

"Hey you!" she desperately hollered. By now, the sand was up to her waist. The Bloggin fixated its eyestalks on Rey for a moment, then pecked at her head before madly running in circles.

"What was I thinking?...you're as useless here as you were on Jakku. No wonder you're almost extinct."

A bout of laughter could be heard as soon as Rey said that. She looked around.

"Who's there?"

Coming up the plateau, Rey affixed her attention on the stranger that strolled and stood before her. It was a Duro: dressed in a leather vest and bandoliers across his chest. He reached out a hand. Rey took hold of it with slight hesitation as he pulled her out of the sand.

"Not the biggest fan of meeting new people, are you?" he said smugly.

Rey dusted herself off and coughed in the haze of sand that followed.

"I take trust very seriously." she said.

"Well I just saved your life, so I'd say that's a safe bet to make. The name's Kresh."

"Rey."

"Ah yes, the Jedi friend of Maz. I'm supposed to be taking you to her stash, is that right? Well, pardon me for being fashionably late."

"I'd say you came just in time. But just about." Rey smiled.

"I think I'm gonna like you. Come with me, Rey. We have _quite_ the walk ahead of us."

* * *

The two began to trek through the yellow grassy stalks that bled into the desert-terrain, as the suns beat down. Rey was quite used to the scorch of the daytime on Jakku, but she hadn't felt temperatures like this in a while. Coming back from Illum didn't exactly acclimatize her either.

"See this grass?" Kresh said, plucking a piece.

"This used to grow on Dantooine."

"Dantooine? On the outer rim?"

Kresh smiled. "They say a lot of Jedi are tied to that place. It used to house an enclave in the ancient times."

"Is that so? I heard that was all just legends. I mean, Dantooine is even more desolate than Jakku. I'm surprised this grass even wants to grow there."

"This grass is a plant used to make plastoid. It's wild here, but it's all over Dantooine. That is, it was...until those damn rebels came and housed their base. Now it's as barren as it was after the galactic civil war. A shame, too."

"Oh." Rey said.

"Ah, don't take it personally Rey. I'm just a sour old soul. I'm not in it for the resistance or the order. I'm just in it for the treasure."

He grinned again, and this time Rey caught sight of his glinting gold tooth.

"Oh but don't worry. I won't lay a hand on Maz's. If I did, I wouldn't be able to shake half the galaxy. But enough about me, tell me about you. What's this mission to Maz's stash for anyways, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rey inhaled deeply as they walked.

"Well," she began, "I need some materials to...make something."

"Something?"

"Yes, a weapon of sorts."

"What kind of weapon?"

"A-it's a...sword of some kind."

"Ah. Like a saber?"

"Yes! Yes. A saber. A...sort of a laser-sword."

"So...a saber made of light."

"Well, you could call it that. I was trying to be vague for secrecy."

Kresh let out a hearty laugh. "You may be a professional in the force, but leave the stealth to me."

"Ok, my turn, Kresh. Now tell me about you: how do you know so much about the Jedi?"

Kresh pulled a medallion out of his vest. It was a gold token with a symbol on it.

"See this? This is the emblem of the Jedi Order." Rey leaned in to inspect it, but Kresh kept his hands tightly wrapped around it.

"So you're telling me you're a Jedi?" Rey said, half-jokingly.

"No, no no. And I would never wish to be. But you could say I'm an enthusiast. A bit of a historian, if you will. I'm truly fascinated with the Jedi. Ever since I was a boy, I've collected knick-knacks and when I was in my prime, I went on excavation missions with pirates to salvage some of the greatest treasures. But I'm nothing more than an enthusiastic scoundrel with an appreciation for the past."

Rey had a glimmer in her eye as he spoke.

'_I wonder if he could teach me a thing or two. Even if he is probably a scoundrel.'_

"Well, we're almost there. Just around this bend and we'll be by Maz's stash."


	4. Chapter 4

_If you like this story, please don't hesitate to follow! I feel obliged to update sooner :) I do not own Star Wars or its properties._

* * *

**Part I, Chapter IV**

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Kylo awoke from his sleep abruptly, as perspiration trickled down his forehead and body. He looked around to make surety of his surroundings. Pulling on his garment and sitting up, a single word kept ringing through his head.

'_Bounty.'_

He tapped the coms on his bedside console, and a hologram of one of his majors appeared.

"Supreme Leader!" she chimed in a prompt salute.

"I want a bounty on the scavenger." he commanded.

"Sir!" she responded with sparse trepidation.

"We have a bounty on the war criminals already! Sixty thousand cre-"

"NO!" barked Kylo. The major kept her composure with her arms behind her back. Her hologram fizzled slightly with the wind of his voice.

"I want the highest bounty on the scavenger girl."

"The highest bounty we can place is within a five hundred thousand creds, Supreme Leader."

"Make it ten million."

"Ten millio-I-wi-with your deserved esteem, Supreme Leader, I'm afraid we don't have that kind of balance to wager."

"The Galactic Empire had a ten million bounty on Princess Organa after Yavin. I don't think I need to explain myself, major. I expect her submission to be just as difficult as she is an irritant." He had an air of distaste after uttering the name of his mother.

"I understand, Supreme Leader. We can work out the details later. Project Resurrection shall continue to ensure our troops don't mind a halving in stipend. After all, the First Order is their home. And just to be sure, may I ask one more question, your greatness?"

"What?"

"Alive or dead?"

"What did you say?"

"The bounty," she repeated, "the scavenger. Alive or-"

"If the girl is not brought to me alive and unharmed," he began, "then I shall be sure every member of your infantry, including yourself, will pay for her life."

"I-I understand. I'll see to it immediately."

The coms hummed as the hologram dissipated and Kylo was left alone in his room. He sighed heavily with bridled frustration as he threw his shirt off and closed his eyes, leaned back and tensed his muscles.

He said her name again.

A dim image could be faintly seen, but it was obscured too much to make out. Finally, the beclouding of the force subsided and he could see it.

At long last, he had finally done it.

There stood Rey, in the radiance of the sun, in a flowing white tunic. Her arm bands were off and her injury was shrouded in a small leather band. She was looking off into the distance at something-Kylo couldn't see what-but he saw her. There was nothing, only Rey.

He reached out slowly, yearning to touch her sun-kissed skin.

He often wondered if her back was as tanned as her shoulders from the swelter of the desert. Refuting to control himself, he stretched his hands to inch towards her, but she was infinitely out of reach. This wasn't like the force connection they had shared before. She couldn't see nor feel him. And he couldn't feel her. But he saw her.

Burning the sight of her into his mind before he gave out, he finally relented as the vision of her abated until it was blurred into darkness.

He collapsed onto his bed breathlessly as he desperately pushed his mind to find Rey again. Kylo's mind was bleak with obscurity once more, as he shook his room and the entirety of the floor with his force-outburst.

The bed and consoles began to rattle and outside, troopers exchanged consciously cautious looks as the clutched their weapons. His lightsaber staggered onto the floor as he let out a voracious clamor in his anger. Eventually, his tantrum came to a standstill and the tremor tapered as well. As Kylo's rage bred deeper and less in control each day, so did his power. Kylo had become dangerously stronger in the force; where his weakness was in concentration, his prowess lay in his rage. But unlike the passion the Sith would exploit for their effectiveness of the dark side, Kylo's anger and impatience was lawless with instability. Sporadic was never an ally of the dark side. Everything had to be calculated and with order: absolute.

'_I've given her so many chances. Chances to claim her true potential. To follow her own destiny. She considered it. But she refused. Why? Have I not shown her mercy?'_

Kylo demonstrated his power to his own allies, but he had also shown them mercy.

'_No. No more mercy. I will show them. I will show them the urgency of my rage. And then they'll know why.'_

Kylo exhaled with slight dejection. Slowly, he traced his fingers along his own face, gently pressing on the meandering scar from his neck to his cheek. He winced with clenched teeth at the sting of pain. It wasn't _just_ the wound that Rey had endowed on him.

'_You did this to me. You made me this way. And you will submit. I will make you-what you know you must become.'_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello! Thanks for stumbling upon my story! If you like, don't forget to follow so I can continue. We are going to finally get some crazy stuff happening in this and the next chapter, so please stay tuned! I do not own Star Wars or its properties._

* * *

**Part I, Chapter V**

* * *

"That was some yarn you set up back there. Special heat-resistant reserve fuel from Jakku." Finn emptied the canteen of water into his mouth as Rose and him walked through the hangar. The roof of the hangar was caved in from a long lack of maintenance, and so the suns shone down harshly.

Rose had taken a detour to Jakku to capitalize on the white lie-which wasn't so little anymore-and buy the time Finn needed. Jakku was close within the reaches of Adrathorpe, and it wouldn't take long in a small ship to set course for it from Jakku. Going directly to Adrathorpe would draw far too much suspicion; it was a moderately populated but known planet for housing thugs and wasn't the kindest to resistance fighters. The lack of authority from both resistance and First Order presence made it easy for criminals to run amok, but its bizarre landscape and intense spring cloudbursts made it less than ideal to settle in. For this reason, many scoundrels, adventurers and pirates had used the planet to hide their most valuable treasures, sealed in secret vaults across the expanse of underground shafts.

"Yeah, well, it's not gonna last very long, you only have about an hour before this lie falls apart and Poe and the lieutenant realize there's no special magic fuel on this planet." She fanned herself as the heat made her swelter in her thick greige jumpsuit.

"There! That's perfect." Finn pointed to a freighter with yellow stripes on it.

Rose scanned around it. "Why don't you take that cloud car attached to it? Much less obvious."

"Rose, I am not taking a cloud car when I have a _freighter_ in front of me. The guy in the hangar said I could take any pile of junk here so long as I have it back."

"And what will I say to explain to everyone you're missing?"

"Right. Just tell them...tell them the truth. Say Finn had to go to Adrathorpe for Rey. And that I'll be back before they know it."

"Ah. Honesty. How noble of you. Finn...do you really need to go? If you don't think it's safe for Rey, it's hardly safe for you. Sh-"

"Rose, just...you don't get it. Being around her...it's not just for her. Just let me do this. Please? You've helped me this far."

She let out a frustrated exhale with her hands on her hips. "Fine, if you know what you're doing, then go. Just swear you'll come back."

Finn smirked as he pressed the door panel of the freighter and it lowered.

"I swear."

* * *

Rey closed her eyes and the pressure on her fingertips began to arise. Hand outstretched, she focused on the door, which was sealed shut with sediment and moss. Kresh watched in awe as she gradually caused the door to bust open with a sudden thrust using the force.

"Amazing. Never thought I'd live to see that in real life."

"So you said the stash is here? The materials I need?" Rey peered inside and saw a man-made tunnel which led in quite deep. The entrance had been hidden under many years' worth of erosion...or maybe Maz buried and intended for it to appear that way.

"Yes, your Jedi-ness. Right down here."

"You don't have to call me a Jedi, Kresh. I don't know if I would call myself one anyways. Thankfully, I'm not as constrained as they tend to be."

"But you're so skilled with the force! If anything, I don't mean it in a bad way. Calling you Jedi is the highest level of respect and Kresh-enthusiasm, take it from me." He chuckled. "Ah, it's so dark in here."

Kresh pulled a flashlight out of his pack and fiddled with it trying to get it to work. "Blast. It's got dust in the circuits."

"Are we close? Maybe I can sense our way around…" Rey tried to envision the stash, but it was hard to visualize and the path was unclear. Suddenly, a bright light emitted from her pocket. She pulled out the source. It was the white kyber crystal. It gleamed so radiantly that the entire cavern was lit.

"Is that…"

"Kyber crystal." Rey said, as she held it and lit the way.

"Amazing. Didn't know they could do that."

"Neither did I, actually. Until now. I suppose this is some kind of new force power or something. Is it any further?"

Kresh pressed his arm band and looked at the holograph of the map. "Yes, just a few more minutes of walking and we should be there."

* * *

Finn's ship landed on a grassy plain, sending a sough of wind down as his ship descended to dock.

Even if pirates did show up, he doubt this lousy freighter was valuable enough to swindle. Thugs were in it for the treasure, not just another piece of junk to hoard.

He threw a bandolier over his shoulder and his EL-16 blaster. Poe had gotten a replacement of the same blaster Han had given him on D'Qar. Perhaps the original was sitting somewhere among the rubble of Takodana, but this one was just as good. He hopped out, taking a deep breath of the humid grassy air. He stood still and in silence for a moment.

'_Was I out of my mind? What am I doing? I don't even know where to look! Ok...ok. Focus Finn. Maybe I can use the force like Rey told me she does. Nah, nah. I can call out to her...but if I do that I'll alert the pirates...I guess I'll strategically scout the area looking for clues an-'_

A _squawk! _bellowed behind Finn as he took no hesitation to aim his blaster rifle at the source. He rapidly looked around with his rifle braced.

"Who's there?"

A Bloggin scurried forward out of a sand deposit, and Finn nearly fired at the damn thing out of surprise.

"Who the heck are you?"

It squawked again, before frantically speeding down the slope.

'_This chicken's seen things.'_

He followed after it, sliding down the slope and rolling into a mound of dry dirt at the foot of a tree.

"Where did you go? Come back, bird! You're my only hope!"

Finn looked around, before seeing the burrow the Bloggin had made in the ground. He peered down, but the bird was nowhere to be seen.

'_Wait a second…'_

He began to prod at the ground with his blaster tip, and the ground began to give way. Finn continued to dig with his hands and blaster nozzle until finally the aperture in the earth broke. He jumped back before he could fall in, as a mass of soil dropped below.

Looking in revealed part of what seemed like a tunnel, one that continued on for miles across the length of the acreage.

"Well, well. Guess my little friend was quite useful after all. Thank you, chicken. You will be remembered in spirit."

Finn carefully hopped down below but nearly fell on his backside from the impact of the _thud! _

He looked back in both directions and then up at the hole he came down, where rays of light were exposed. Activating his blaster light, he began to make his way in the opposite of the direction he had arrived from.

'_Rey, if anybody tries a thing, well...they better watch it. I've been going to target practice for weeks and I'm pretty confident now. Well, I won't say the confidence part to her, that's more of a personal motivation.' _

* * *

"So this is what Maz calls treasure?" Kresh said, a little vexed. There was an amass of invaluable things, such as souvenirs and trinkets. There weren't even any Jedi artifacts, and so Kresh was of great disinterest and even greater disappointment.

"Haven't you seen it before? Aren't you a guard of Maz's stash?"

"Yes, well...just as trust is important to you, it's important to me. Maz told me not to poke around for the sake of her own secrecy. She has an air of mystery to her, and she wants to keep it that way I suppose."

"I suppose." Rey said distractedly as she browsed Maz's collection.

The cave walls were chiseled with shelves, each embellished with Maz's strange items. She chuckled as she strode past a broken bowcaster that hung in a glass box, simply labeled as "_My Boyfriend's a Hero."_

"Anyways, I'll go stand by the door and fiddle with my armband. You go about your business." Kresh said, as he made his way to the door. Rey combed through the stash a little longer, until she finally found a metal crate tied up in cable. She heavingly pulled it out and set it down with an aching groan, then untied it and began to pry it open with her staff.

"Need a hand?" Kresh hollered from down at the entrance. His voice echoed through the cavern room.

"No, I'm fine! I may be here a bit though!"

"Fine by me!"

Rey pulled out the items inside, which were various sheets of durable metal. There were other pieces inside, such as mechanical components...a power grid...an emitter matrix...hooks…

She found an empty spot in the middle of the cavern and sat down, placing the items in front of her in a specific fashion on the floor.

She began to envision her lightsaber: an elegant hilt with the Aegean silver kyber crystal inside reflecting light off all the inner workings of the casing, and bearing a brilliant white energy blade.

Pebbles on the ground began to rumble lightly as the materials began to rise into thin air, suspended by nothing but the force.

The materials began to attract to one another-as the metal began to wrap the cylindrical base of the hilt. The metal was fairly malleable and so it was easy to manipulate using a pull and push of the force on the right points.

The semi-completed hilt nimbly dropped into Rey's hand, as her eyes sparked with excitement. She drew the kyber crystal out of her pocket, which was glowing profusely now, and it practically pulled itself into the the heart of the saber. Rey began to tinker with the modulation gates circuits and power gates as she leaned in and attentively wired the inside. A spark almost erupted as she put the emitter matrix-which would be how the saber turned on and off.

'_Whoops! Backwards...right. That could have ended far worse.'_

She flipped the matrix and gently lined it inside, before take the last piece of metal and using the force to mesh it onto the top.

She took a deep breath, admiring her work. The hilt shone from the dim light of the cavern, and she traced her fingers along it in awe of what she had just created.

Standing up, she stood in formation, ready to test out the energy blade. Rey playfully sparred with the air for a moment before igniting it, imagining the power of the lightsaber in action.

'_Ok, ok. Enough of the excitement. This time's for real. Hopefully it doesn't explode. I did fix the matrix, so not much else could go wrong, right?'_

Rey placed a finger on the activation button, her heart pounding eagerly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Before she could turn around, a blaster was pressed against the back of her head, finger on the trigger.


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the short chapter, the next will be longer! Don't own Star Wars, this is purely made for entertainment._

* * *

**Part I, Chapter VI**

* * *

"Make a move, and I shoot." Kresh said. Rey put her hands up in surrender, her back turned to the Duro who tightly pressured the blaster to her head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. It wouldn't end well for you, Kresh."

"Perhaps you're right. But in your position, I would advise not. You can try all the Jedi-tricks you want and you can slice me up with that lightsaber of yours, but it won't change the fact that the First Order is on their way as we speak. So spare a life, unless you want this to be harder for you than it already is."

"No-" Rey instinctually pried into his mind, though he slightly resisted.

'_It's true. He isn't lying.'_

"Why are you doing this, Kresh? Is it because I'm with the resistance?"

"Resistance?" Kresh let out a roar of laughter, as he snatched Rey's hilt out of her hand and secured it onto his belt. "I couldn't care less if you were with the resistance or the ewoks. The First Order just placed a bounty on you so high, why, I could become the emperor of my own system with that many creds."

"I thought you were a friend of the Jedi."

"Friend? No, no. And even if I were, you said it yourself: you're no Jedi. You're just an entitled insurgent doing the bidding of the rebels. Besides, how do you think I got these artifacts?"

Rey entered his mind again, and was met with a miasma of death and an inferno of blaster shots. She witnessed a memory of Kresh, blaster in hand, as he stood over a heap of his prey.

"No...impossible. There's no way you did such a thing...not to a Jedi…"

"You're right, I didn't. But it didn't stop me from prying it off the cold, dead bodies of those who protected their relics."

"Who are you, Kresh?"

"Let me tell you one truth, and one lie. Genuinely, I am a collector of Jedi assortments. They humor me. But on the other hand, I'm not your local friendly scoundrel. I would call myself more of a...hunter, a hunter of bounties if you will? Oh, and my name isn't Kresh. Poor fellow. Had to take his armband in order to get all this information from your friend Maz, but it was a small effort for an even better prize."

"Stealing things off of cadavers, that mustn't have been hard for you, you monster."

"Enough of the chitchat, Rey."

The bounty hunter pressed the armband with his vacant hand against his chest and activated the coms. A hologram of a First Order officer appeared.

"I've got your bounty, right here like I said." He turned his wrist and displayed a restrained Rey at the behest of his blaster to the officer. He looked astounded.

"Excellent work, bounty hunter. You will be rewarded beyond handsomely for your labor. The First Order assures it."

"They better." He scoffed.

Rey closed her eyes, concocting her next plan. There were ways to get out of this, but she had to think wisely. If she had to do it, she would have to take the bounty hunter's life. But it wasn't the first thing she would want to do. As her mind swayed between thoughts, something began to draw her to it. She sensed a presence, a familiar life within the tunnel.

'_Finn? What is he doing here?'_

She focused, and saw him darting through the tunnels aimlessly in search of something-someone-and she knew just who. She called out to him through the force.

'_Finn…'_

* * *

Finn stopped in his tracks. He felt something. A sudden heaviness, but on the mind. He blinked, disoriented at the sensation.

'_Finn…'_

The voice of Rey echoed in his head.

"Rey? Rey! Where are you?"

He looked all around him, but he couldn't hear the voice again.

"Please...show me where you are."

'_Finn…'_

The voice called again. Finn began to dash down one of the paths in the tunnel.

"REY!" he cried out.

"REY!"


	7. Chapter 7

_If any of you are familiar with the Clone Wars series you're in for a delightful surprise this chapter. Please enjoy! I do not own Star Wars or its_ properties.

* * *

**Part I, Chapter VII**

* * *

An echo reverberated faintly through the caverns, which took the bounty hunter by surprise. Rey's heart pounded as she heard the sound of Finn's voice.

"What was that?" he said, not taking his blaster off Rey's head for a moment.

"A distraction."

Rey leaped backward, kicking the bounty hunter in the groin. She force-pulled her lightsaber off of his belt and into his hand. In a spur, he picked himself up, grimacing, and fired a round of shots ceaselessly at Rey. She evaded the attack, raising herself to a ledge with an agile force jump. Without a moment of waiting, she pressed the activation button and ignited her saber. A long white plume-like burst of energy hissed as her blade came to fruition. He continued to fire relentlessly at her as she carefully deflected the blasts.

"REY!"

Rey looked to the entrance of the room, and there stood Finn. Before the relief could leave his face, the bounty hunter forthwith aimed at him. Rey dove onto the ground and averted the shot back to the hunter's direction, where it bounced off a metal box and nearly hit him.

"Am I glad to see you." Finn said, as he fired his blaster.

"I could say the same. Let's get out of here."

Rey force-pushed the bounty hunter as he went flying backward onto a shelf of items that clamored down onto him.

The two took this opportunity to dash down the tunnel and out of sight before the bounty hunter could find his bearing...or his blaster.

"Do you know which way will get us out of here?" Finn said. "Because I sure don't."

Rey closed her eyes and looked around for various passages using the force.

"This way, follow me!"

They hurried down a snaking tunnel, as Finn cautiously kept an eye behind him for the bounty hunter or any other trouble.

* * *

They came to a sudden halt and Finn and Rey both exchanged a confused glance as they looked around.

"Where do we go? This is a dead end."

"My force vision brought us here, this couldn't be a mistake."

"Rey, look up."

Rey and Finn looked up and saw a hint of light beaming down through a small hole in the ground above them. It widened until the beak of a pecking Bloggin could be seen.

"Chicken! You came back for me!"

"Chicken? That's a Bloggin."

"No," Finn laughed, "that's our way out." Finn aimed his blaster upward.

"Stand back," he told Rey, "I have an idea."

He shot upwards, piercing the earth with a blaster shot that caused the soil around it to crumble. The Bloggin scurried away in panic as the hole collapsed and dirt avalanched down. Finn and Rey both coughed as the dust settled, and the two wasted no time helping each other up to escape. The opening was high up though, and the brittle walls of the tunnel were difficult to climb.

"Let me onto your shoulders, Finn. Now I have an idea."

"My shoulders? Oh-ok."

Rey mounted herself onto Finn's back and then onto his shoulders. He fastened his hands around her ankles.

"Let go, I'll be fine."

"You're going to fall!"

"No I won't! Why do you always coddle me?"

"If I hadn't coddled, you would have still been back there, Rey. I know you hate it when I butt in, but I had to."

"Finn, I could have handled it myself back there. But I don't want to fight. Let's just get out of here." Rey stood up on Finn's shoulders, wobbling until he took hold of her ankles again.

"You can let go." she said assuringly.

"But what if I lose you again?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just-it's just...ok fine. I'm letting go. I trust you." Finn let go of his grasp around her ankles, and in an instant, Rey lunged upward and force-jumped to the surface, where she retained her balance with her arms outstretched. She smiled at the success of her thinking.

"See? I told you. I just had to get high enough. I'm going to throw a vine or something down to pull you up."

Before Finn could say another word, Rey disappeared from peering over the hole. His heart beat anxiously for a moment until she returned with a strand of thick vine.

She threw one end down, and Finn secured his hands around it.

"Ah! It burns from this end! It's all frayed!" He shook his hand in pain.

"Don't be such a baby! Just brave it!"

Finn placed his hands around the vine as Rey began to grunt and pull him upwards. But he slid back down, his palms reddened with bristles.

"What should I do?"

"I have an idea." Rey said, as she pulled the rope up. She took her lightsaber hilt and carefully knotted the vine around it, avoiding touch of the harsh barb.

"Here!" she yelled, dropping the vine down again. "Now try it!"

Finn grasped onto the hilt, which was pulleyed up the vine in Rey's hands. She arduously pulled with all her strength, as perspiration formed on her brow. She stepped forward exhaustingly as the mud worked against her, successfully bringing Finn closer to the surface.

"If I could jump the way you did Rey, trust me, I would." Finn laughed.

"Rey?" he paused.

Suddenly, the vine flew loose, and in a fleeting moment, Finn gripped onto the hole's ledge, his vacant hand still fixed around the vine. He threw it over his shoulder and strenuously pulled himself up.

Before he could finish his next word, he looked around himself and was met with the barrels of blasters and the points of swords. An array of pirates surrounded him with their weapons drawn. He froze.

"Where's Rey?" he demanded. The pirates moved aside, still with their weapons unsheathed, as a vast shadow in the sky came into view for Finn to see. It was a First Order star destroyer-and an infantry's worth of TIEs came bombinating out of its sides as they swooped down from the sky.

"Two for the price of one. Though, this one's not as worth your trouble, boys."

The bounty hunter emerged from behind the pirates, who turned to face him. With a single arm he dragged Rey, who was cuffed in heavy metal braces.

"I guess Maz did have something useful lying around. I saw these Cortosis cuffs and thought they'd make a nice memento. A force-proof one."

The pirates snickered.

"Let go of me you vile son of a-"

"Hush, scavenger. You're all words now."

"What do we do about this one, Moxxar?" one of the Gamorrean pirates asked, seizing hold of Finn's arm aggressively. Another pinched off his blaster and inspected it before putting it on his back holster.

"Hey!" Finn yelled, but the Gamorrean growled at him and tightened his grip.

"Throw him to the sarlacc pits for all I care."

Finn swallowed.

"I heard the sarlacc pits were reserved for bounty hunters," one pirate taunted. The others laughed. "Maybe we should toss you there and take the highest bounty."

"Compelling, really. But I wouldn't do that if I were you. I've already claimed this bounty anyways, unless you'd like a word with our First Order friends, who are coming up at this very moment."

Within moments, a squadron of TIEs landed around the group, and a barrage of stormtroopers came spilling out with their weapons drawn. A commander and his major strode by the pirates, who had eased their weapons at the sight of so many troops.

"Ah, First Order friends! So nice of you to drop by."

"Bounty hunter." the major uttered.

"Here's your precious scavenger, unharmed as promised. Now, let's talk about my end of the bargain, shall we?"

The major murmured something to the commander, who ushered two stormtroopers over. They grabbed Rey by the cuffs above her head and lugged her to one of their command shuttles as she kicked and protested. Finn tried to elbow his captor and began to dash toward Rey, but a stormtrooper emerged from the squad and tazed him. He fell unconscious to the ground as the electricity fizzled through his body.

"Leave the traitor. The bounty's off for him for the time being. We just want the girl." the major said, as she gestured for her stormtroopers to stop before lifting Finn.

The pirates began to cause a bustle of angry cursing.

"You promised us the lesser bounty, Moxxar!" one pirate yelled.

"Ah, I did. And it just so happens that I don't make up the rules. A shame, isn't it? Perhaps you'd like to negotiate it with our armed guests?" Moxxar had a gleam of debauchery in his eye.

The Gamorrean let out a battle cry and raised his blade into the air as the pirates began to fire and charge riotously at the stormtroopers. The troopers began to fight back, firing F-11D rounds into the mass of pirates.

"Fire at will! Return the major back to her ship!" the commander barked, as a stormtrooper led her away from the altercation.

Finn blinked awake-hardly conscious at first- and immediately ducked to the ground. Crawling out amidst the crossfire, he carefully made his way around the defeated bodies dropping to the ground. He saw the light shine off of something by the hole. It was the lightsaber, still strung to the vine. Carefully he reached out to it, hoping the conflict would continue just a little longer so he could take hold of it and retreat to save Rey.

A stormtrooper with a bright red shoulder pad hopped out of one of the TIEs, hauling a minigun with both of his hands. In a spray of blasts, he began to fire rapidly into the array. Within seconds almost all of the pirates had fallen and their weapons clamored to the ground. Lucky for Finn, it was in this moment he had grabbed the hilt and somersaulted gracelessly into the hole, where he had disappeared from the sight of the stormtroopers. He fell with a violent _thud!_, this time right on his backside, to which he groaned and picked himself up with difficulty before bolting down the tunnel away from the opening.

Moxxar coughed violently from the dust storm the fight had created as he sprung up from behind the wing of a TIE he had taken refuge by.

"Well," he said, looking around at aftermath, "that certainly could have gone better."

"Fortunate we didn't lose any troops, either. Those insipid pirates are not nearly as threatening as I presumed." the commander said as he walked toward Moxxar. "Your efforts for the First Order will be greatly endowed. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren will be very pleased with this news, especially considering how...uncomplicated the circumstances turned out to be."

"Yeah, yeah that's all dandy, really. When do I receive my reward?"

"The bounty is in the process of transmission. Report to the capital on Coruscant by tomorrow in order to finish the proceedings, I will see to it personally that the information on location is forwarded to you."

"Wonderful, wonderful! Well then, I'll expect to see you then, general? It's been an honour, really. It has." Moxxar placed his hand out to shake.

"Commander, not general," the commander said as he grudgingly shook his hand. "And likewise."

With his arms folded behind his back, the commander made his way back to his command shuttle. He stopped in his track as the engines began to whir.

"And by the way, hunter…"

Moxxar looked up at the commander as the doors began to lift gradually.

"You carry Bane's legacy well."

Moxxar had a subtle smirk on his face.

"I'm sure my dad would've been proud."


	8. Chapter 8

_Finally! Enjoy :)_

* * *

**Part I, Chapter VIII**

* * *

"Ah. The scavenger." said Kylo, gesturing his lightsaber. He had been rehearsing his mannerisms for hours as he stared at the reflection on his glass window.

'_No, no. I haven't referred to her as a scavenger since before Starkiller. But I want her to know her place below me.'_

Kylo practiced his body language as he stared at himself, enshrouded in his dark cape. He scoffed at his own image, as he turned away in disdain. He wanted to make an impression, but he had never been so preoccupied with the way he came across, even to those he sought to strike fear into. It had been so natural most of the time; when he was in the presence of an enemy, intimidation was offhand and something Kylo didn't even have to try.

He could sense the fear.

Yet when it was around..._her_...something was not quite the same. She felt afraid at times, but both her courage and power were foreign to Kylo. By now he could not feign that she was not strong with the force: she was a threat to be reckoned with. Even with a weakened resistance, he could never quite turn her, and this only accounted a shred of his rage.

But now, perhaps, there was a chance. With Rey apprehended and the resistance depleted, she would have little choice but to take him as her guide. Although he had considered taking her on before and leaving all else behind during that heightened moment aboard the _Supremacy_, he knew she wouldn't come willing. All else seemed miniscule, even the First Order, when it came to his master plan. The grand intentions of the galaxy were made small by distractions like the resistance, or the past. Kylo just had to convey this insistence to Rey.

If anyone could understand it in his eyes, it would be her.

* * *

Kylo's console emitted a beeping glow in the reflection, which caught his eye. The major appeared on hologram.

"Your greatness, Supreme Leader."

"Report."

"We will soon be docking the command shuttle aboard your starship. The prisoner is boarded and conscious."

"That's all I needed to hear."

Kylo shut the call. He could barely contain himself. Rey was aboard the ship. He felt the same rush he felt on the _Supremacy_, when Rey herself came to Kylo to confront Snoke. It took a great amount of focus to suppress his breaths in the elevator as she came close and uttered the words.

"_You will not bow before Snoke. You'll turn."_ she had said with such conviction. He stared into her burnished hazel eyes, watching the flicker of her eyelashes as she glared back with equal certainty. His gaze was soft, and his whisper was even softer.

"_When the moment comes, you'll be the one to turn. You'll stand with me." _He was nearly breathless as he spoke the last four words; fighting back his own conflict as he uttered them.

"_Rey."_

He couldn't forget the touch of her delicate arm as he gently nudged her forward, his hand placed on the back of her forearm until they were before Snoke's throne. He knew what he wanted to do the moment he entered that room. There was no spurring decision, but it was a thought deep within the reaches of Kylo's mind; one even Snoke could not clearly foretell.

The thought of meeting Rey-in her crisp, white attire-roused his expectations only more. He remembered the day before, when he finally caught sight of her in his vision. He burned the sight of her in his mind: the sun beaming on her bronzed, freckled skin, and the mesmerizing specs of green in her doe-like brown eyes. He had never met someone as powerful and equally riveting as Rey. It wasn't just her power with the force, but something _else _about her that embittered Kylo's want for her even more. He took out his rage in episodes of anger and rash decisions, yet whenever he saw her, he only desired to be close to her, and not dare raise his voice. Even when they sparred lightsabers, he was more so encapsulated by her ability and his proximity than even the fight itself. He never dared to shout or ambush her in any aggressive way. It was a dance between light and dark that only revealed more entropy, and the loneliness both contained within. He intended for nothing to change. He had no desire to change Rey's essence. Rather, it was her essence that he desperately wanted. He would show her the truth, just as he did on Ahch-To, and with due time, allow her to find her place beside him. The thought of being close enough to Rey that he could whisper onto her skin only kindled the desperation that was growing within him.

* * *

Kylo force-pulled his helmet-which had been melded with red scorches along the incisions-into his hand and fastened it upon his head.

He grabbed his lightsaber and stalked out of the room and down the corridors, making his way to the shuttle hangar. The hangar was massive and the floor hyaline-which reflected everything in a lustrous ebony. It was colossal in size, but particularly empty since most of the shuttles were active. He tread around in circles impatiently, igniting and reigniting his lightsaber to pass the time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the command shuttle lowered into the hangar bay, as its wings contracted up in a mechanical whir of steam.

Out came a black and white squadron of troopers, and between them they dragged an exhausted but agitated girl in cuffs above her head. She kicked and bucked, yelling to be let go at once-but cut her words short in a silent gasp when she saw was ahead of her. A great stretch away in the distance stood Kylo Ren, clad in his black hood and mask.

"Free her constraints."

He said in his mechanical muffled voice, which boomed across the hangar.

"Bu-" the commander began, but Kylo spared him no room for opposition.

"I SAID FREE HER!"

With that, the stormtroopers reluctantly unlocked her cuffs, inching away with their blasters pointed at her. Rey, who was both battered and worn from the effect of the heavy Cortosis, rubbed her wrists in pain as she struggled to get on her two legs. Her heart was pounding. There was silence, and only the the gusty pressures from the outside could be heard. She wasn't sure what to do next.

Kylo opened his arms, with his lightsaber in one hand.

Something unexpected happened.

He dropped to his knee, his arms still outstretched wide. He ignited his red lightsaber with its unstable hiss and hum, and the blaze of his sword reflected gleamingly on the hangar floor.

"COME TO ME REY," he exclaimed, "_SHOW ME _YOUR POWER!"


	9. Chapter 9

_I do not own Star Wars or its properties. This story is purely entertainment. Unlike Rian Johnson, I actually attempt to subvert your expectations, reader. ;) With that said as usual, enjoy!_

* * *

**Part I, Chapter IX**

* * *

She stood petrified in place, staring at Kylo from afar. He was practically on his knees and his lightsaber was drawn. Within a few moments, Rey felt her hip to grab her own lightsaber, but it wasn't there. She felt both sides of her belt before realizing.

'_No...no. This can't be.'_

Kylo watched her from his position, studying as she frantically tapped her body looking for something.

"I SAID COME TO ME!" he hollered, as his echo traveled across the hangar.

"Where's your lightsaber, scavenger?" one of the stormtroopers asked, shoving her in the elbow with his blaster.

"I-I don't know!"

"This must be a trick," the commander growled, "she's an enemy foraying into our base. She must be planning to attack us when we least expect it. Search her!"

The stormtroopers huddled around stepped precariously towards her. Before any of them could lay a hand to jostle her, all of them launched off the ground in an instant and turbulently through the air.

They coarsely fell backward a great distance and landing scattered all over the ground many feet away from Rey. She looked ahead and saw Kylo Ren, still standing a considerable distance, but with his hand cast out.

"Lay a hand on her," he rumbled under his mask, "and you die."

The stormtroopers lumbered up on their feet and followed their commander in formation by the door. It was just Rey now, standing parallel to Kylo. She could get a better look at him now, and saw his helmet, which was webbed with the same fiery red of his lightsaber.

'_What are you planning, Kylo?'_

'_You will see.'_

He slowly prowled forward with his signature skulk, stopping a few feet away from Rey and circling her like a hawk. She didn't dare take her eyes off of him, turning around in sync with his every footstep to watch him.

Rey concentrated her power, trying to pry into his mind to see his intentions.

'_What is this game?'_

But he stayed resistant, stopping where he stood.

"Where is your lightsaber?" he broke the silence.

She kept her mouth taut, looking away from him with defiance in her body language.

"Where is it?" he repeated.

"I don't have one. It was destroyed, remember?"

"I wasn't talking about the old man's."

Rey looked at Kylo.

Kylo pointed his lightsaber in her direction. She barely flinched.

"I felt it. You were on Ilum."

Rey lifted her head and focused on him. Then, it hit her. The vision she had...the memory of Kylo. In that moment, the force connected not only the place she was in to Kylo, but Kylo to Rey. Although their bond was obscured now, the sanctity of force-sensitive places and objects drew them together. Kylo must have felt the awakening and put the pieces together.

"I already told you, I don't have a lightsaber. Why would I lie?"

He lowered his lightsaber, deactivating the blade.

Rey took this moment to force-pull in his direction, tearing his lightsaber off his body and into her hands. The troopers by the door tensed up and put Rey in the crosshairs of their weapons.

"Lower your weapons," Kylo beckoned, raising his arm in their direction. They looked as equally confused as their commander as they stood back in formation at the behest of their Supreme Leader.

Rey activated the saber, and jerked her entire body back from the impact of the energy blade. It fizzled open on the top and the sides: the broken kyber crystal inside caused a sporadic noise different than normal lightsabers.

Bits of red sparks flew off and hit the ground with a volatile sizzle as she apprehensively held his weapon with both hands. She could sense the hatred, even in the embodiment of his lightsaber, as she stepped backward and grasped it. The darkness was even imminent in his weapon and she physically staggered as it permeated her mind, flashing memories of the screams and terror tied to its victims.

Kylo stood calmly before her, patiently waiting for her to charge at him at any moment. He knew exactly what was happening, and the effects of someone as force-sensitive as Rey wielding his weapon.

"Go ahead." he said, without a hitch in his tone.

Rey looked at him with confusion. She would have thought he'd make a move to stop her by now.

"Kill me."

Her expression changed when she heard him say the words. She faltered again, with the lightsaber still gripped at eye level. What was he waiting for? What was _she _waiting for?

'_This must be deception. It can't be this simple. He's allowing me to murder him.'_

He stood completely still, his hands at his side. The vents above sent winds down, which flapped his black cape behind his static pose.

"I said KILL me!" he demanded, sending a ripple of flashbacks through Rey's mind-the people he had mercilessly slaughtered...Han's face as he clutched his body and fell down the chasm of Starkiller base...and the super weapon itself, which he partook to create. The millions of lives lost at the hands of the First Order were through the agency of evil-that included Kylo Ren.

Rey clenched her fists on the saber as animosity rushed through her.

"You cannot mask your hate. You hate me."

But Rey knew of his manipulation. She could see past it. With the memories of his corruption, there always came memories of his anguish. The conflict could not be unseen, and Rey knew it was certain the moment he betrayed his master and killed Snoke that fateful day. Even in the darkest crevice of the universe, there was light.

"No." she defused his lightsaber, throwing it on the ground. "I don't."

'_I won't submit to the darkness. And I know you haven't either.'_

'_Ah, Rey. Although you're trained with the force, you're just as naive. Leia would have been disappointed. Too bad she won't live to find out.'_

'_What?'_

'_That wretched woman is dead.'_

"Get OUT of my head!" Rey shouted, force-pushing Kylo. He nearly fell back, but kept his balance with his foot as her force push caused his cape to billow with its abrupt and powerful blast.

'_He's lying...he must be…'_

"You know it's true."

That was it. She leaped through the air in a forceful gust, which slid his lightsaber far across the room, lunging toward him in fury the second she made contact with the ground. Kylo skid to the left to evade her attack, and stretched out an arm to force-freeze Rey in her tracks.

But she resisted, and blitzed at him using another forceful push. This time he was thrust backward and staggered, but took haste to force-pulling Rey fiercely as she skirt abruptly through the air and at his feet.

She sorely got onto her feet, wincing at the impact on her legs. But within seconds she charged at Kylo again with the intent to knock him down physically; springing at him at full speed.

He force-froze her effectively this time: suspending her body in an instant just inches away from his. Kylo made his bearings and skulked around her-reminiscent of how he circled her during their first encounter in the Takodana forest. But instead of terror on her face, Rey furrowed her brows with a strained expression, trying to repel his power.

He laid his eyes on her-endearingly-but she couldn't see thanks to his mask.

Her arms and neck glistened with her perspiration as she tried to resist; stone-frozen at the bid of his power. Just like in the forest, he seemed amused at the effect of his own strength, taking advantage of this moment to study Rey before making his next move. He closely in front of her with his hand extended to adjourn his force-freeze and for Rey to fall unconscious, just as she did before. But what she did was unexpected.

Rey began to move out of her frozen state; shaking profusely as she repelled the effect of his force-freeze. Kylo was taken aback; he had never once been resisted successfully from the petrification of his victims. Even Rey.

She struggled, grunting with burning agony with every movement as she jolted shakingly trying to fight the convulsion he was trying to induce. Kylo pushed back harder, pressuring more control with his force as he tried to freeze her, but she kept on trudging. Perspiration glint off of her forehead, her hair sticking to her face as she clenched. Finally, she let out a scream in toil, exerting her mental determination to its limits against him.

She broke free of her invisible captivity, her body crumpling forward in exhaustion.

Rey fell into the mercy of his arms, as her eyes flickered and she fought to stay conscious. Kylo froze, catching her in his arms and fastening them gently around her back. Rey's face was burrowed in the cloak of his shoulder unintentionally. Her sweat seeped onto his clothing, and her breathing finally slowed.

Kylo closed his arms around her tighter. His heartbeat began to speed up, and he pulled Rey's body back away from his chest before she could feel its wistful _thump_. Gradually lowering her, he eased one arm under her back and the other under legs, carrying her in his arms bridal style.

He strode towards the door with a weary Rey in his arms, the stormtroopers composing themselves in straight, soldierly positions as Kylo walked past them. He made his way down the corridor. Passing stormtroopers made sure not to engage in eye contact. They simply shared confused looks with one another after their Supreme Leader stalked down the corner, carrying a barely conscious Jedi.

He came to the north wing's foyer, where the halls diverged into two. One led to the meditation room, and one let to his chambers. Kylo glanced at both passageways. He stepped forward, and the door to his bedroom spontaneously opened with his motion, revealing his personal space inside.

But he stood, contemplating. He looked down at Rey in his arms.

She looked drained from their encounter, and her eyelids finally gave in as she closed them weakly. Strands of her brown hair were pulled out of her tied three buns and framed her perspiring face. Her pouty lips were slightly parted and she breathed softly, as Kylo felt the gentle wisp of her air onto his wrist. He could have given into the temptation right then just by the sight of her honeysuckle skin in her humble white tunic, which wrapped perfectly around her thin frame. She was reduced to defeat, submissive in his arms.

But he turned back, going to the meditation room door. He entered, placing her on the platform floor gently, then slipped away to the exit.


	10. Chapter 10

_I do not own Star Wars, this is purely a story for entertainment. This chapter I decided to go back to the resistance stuff because I have something big planned for the next Kylo/Rey chapter. Stay tuned!_

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**Part I, Chapter X**

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"I said this isn't a good time, Rasi." Poe said, with slight irritation in his voice. He had been in the medbay for quite some time now, seated next to Leia's bed with the warmth of his hand on hers as the machinery connected to her breathing apparatus beeped. Rasi stood by the door, his cap in his hands with a slightly sheepish expression at the annoyance he caused to admiral Poe.

"Forgive me, admiral. We've just run into a bit of a problem concerning the fuel situation."

Poe sighed, turning away from the unconscious Leia. "I'd say us being on Jakku for more than a few hours itself is a problem. When do we plan to head to Coruscant?"

"That's the thing," Rasi scratched his head. "The fuel supply is incredibly low-"

Poe threw his arms up in frustration. "Rasi, you told me when we landed we had sufficient fuel for our set course, and now you're telling me it's been depleted? We came here for a pit stop, or at least that's what Rose told me. Something about Rhydonium starship fuel. She told me you knew about it and gave her a blessing to change course."

"I-who-me?! She told you that?" Rasi spattered.

"Yeah, she did…"

"But Rose told me that she had informed _you _about the fuel."

Poe put his hands on his hips, and let out a scornful chuckle.

"She got both of us, Rasi."

"It seems so. This will set us off schedule by a long shot."

"Don't be so cynical, my Mon Cala friend." Poe patted him on the back. "We'll just send one of our pilots to grab some of the grade stuff, fill up our tanks, and get out of here."

"That's the problem, admiral. We can't go just yet."

"Why not?"

"Well you see…"

Poe lowered his lids. "Let me guess...Rose said she would get the Rhydonium?"

Rasi nodded hesitantly.

"And let me guess again...she hasn't come back yet?"

"Yes…"

"Dammit!" Poe seemed visibly irked now. "What is that girl up to? And why did she have to pick such a bad time to scheme? The last thing we need is any more delays. Wait...I know. Comm Finn to get us some fuel and supplies from Nima outpost. It's been a while since he got out of his room. It's something to keep him busy, poor guy's been worried sick since Rey left."

"About that…"

"Tell me some good news, Rasi…"

"Finn's been missing since we landed."

"What?!"

"I tried to comm him, but he didn't answer. We searched the ship, and I even went to interrogate Rose. But when I entered the cockpit, she was gone too."

"Wonderful. Just wonderful." Poe said sarcastically, throwing his arms up in frustration. He marched outside and to the cockpit of the ship, where he activated the speaker of the master controls.

"_Anyone else want to leave? Take a vacation?" _the audio boom of his derisive voice on the ship's sound systems echoed throughout, and the pilots around the ship looked at one another in confusion.

"_Everyone to their stations, and if anybody leaves the ship before we find those two gonks, we're not coming back to pick you, so get used to the Jakku locals, I've heard they're lovely!"_

He stomped away from the consoles and out the door of the ship, as Rasi followed him behind.

"Admiral Poe! What do you plan to do?"

"Visit the closest cantina, get myself a couple of drinks, maybe play my hand at some Sabacc."

"What?"

"You're horrible at sensing sarcasm, Rasi," Poe laughed. "I'm going to find out where they went."

"But they've switched their comms and everything off."

"You're overthinking it," Poe adjusted his sight as he shaded his eyes with his hand, looking around at the landing outpost, "it'll only take a bit of questioning to find out."

Poe and Rasi had made a fifteen minute round around the outpost, asking people if they had seen two resistance fighters-seemingly out of place-roaming the area. For the most part, the search had proven inconclusive; the locals, as Poe himself had put it, weren't exactly 'lovely.' They were either met with grunts or told to get lost. Resistance or not, the folk of Jakku were not exactly the most cordial bunch.

"This is useless." Rasi said, wiping his forehead as he sweat profusely.

"You know...I really thought for the amount of callous, hardened sun beat exteriors these locals have, they would have soft hearts of gold."

"It seems you thought wrong. And I need to get inside somewhere, I'm burning. Mon Calamari weren't made for one sun, let alone two."

"Alright, alright. Let's check out that junky hangar over there." Poe pointed to the miserable looking hangar, which housed a number of cargo freighters and second grade ships.

"That?! But there's practically no roof...it's like you _want _me to burn."

"You know, you get quite whiny when you're in the heat, Rasi. This is a side to you I've never known."

"Just get me out of this sun."

The two walked into the hangar, scanning about at the collection of jerry-built Cargolift vessels and skipper ships. They approached a somewhat authoritative looking Crolute and what seemed to be his son, standing by one of the posts.

"But I was going to the Cratertown station to pick up the power converters!" the young Crolute obnoxiously whined.

"Quiet, boy! Unless you want me to tell your mother you ate all her Anzati snot garlic, hm?"

"_D-dad!"_

"Sorry to interrupt this meaningful father-son moment," Poe interjected, "but I was wondering if me and my cohort here could ask you some questions?"

The father Crolute grumbled. "What kind of questions?"

"Just if you've seen any resistance fighters, wearing clothes like us, wandering the area."

"No. Seen nothing of the sort," the father retorted awfully dismissive.

"Resistance fighters? Oh, dad! Like the girl, the one in the brown jumpsuit and the red badge!" the boy exclaimed.

"Gingar, shut up you little idiot!"

Poe and Rasi looked at each other and exchanged pleasantly surprised glances before bursting into laughter.

"I guess there's no point now. Come on out, stupid rebel!" the Crolute hollered, and out came Rose from the back of one of the freighters.

"Oh, I was counting on you to do your job!" Rose fussed as she pulled out some creds and coarsely placed them in his giant hand. Poe crossed his arms and Rasi looked infuriated.

"Okay, okay. I know you have a lot of questions, but let me explain."

"Then start explaining." Poe said dryly.

"Do you know how far back you've set us, Rose? Why, we could have been on Coruscant by now if it weren't for this-this-frolic of yours!" Rasi exploded, his face turning deep red.

"It's not my fault!" Rose snapped.

"Then who's fault is it?" asked Poe.

She looked at both of them with defeat in her eyes. Before she could fend for herself and detail the situation, the _put-put_ sound of an engine loudened and all three looked in the direction of the vehicle's descent.

It was a dinky yellow cloudcar, and it maneuvered clumsily through the skylight in the roof before making an unsteady landing inside the hangar. The sides of it narrowly bumped between other freighters and nearly caused a collision of the parked ships had it not been for a quick swoop towards the wall. Poe, Rasi, Rose and the two Crolute watched as the cloudcar screeched to a half after ramming into the wall, causing one of the pods to crumple. The metal of the pod scraped against the wall with an ear-splitting noise, making everybody cover their ears and grousing. What was left of the wall deteriorated to dust and debris, leaving a new hole in the already crumbling hangar.

"Come on, boy! Let's get out o' here before we get in trouble!" The Crolute instructed to his boy as he ushered him and the two fled.

Poe, Rose and Rasi rushed toward the cloudcar. The top hatch of the undamaged pod flung open, sending a draft of smoke in all directions.

"Finn!"

When the dust cleared, Poe was the first to see Finn-who was covered in mud-climb weakly out of the vehicle. He ran to his aid, hoisting stepladder and placing an arm under Finn's as a crutch. Rose took him under her other arm, and the two walked Finn toward the post, where they gently set him down to sit against it. He coughed before wincing and straining his lower back.

"Hey, hey, easy now. You're gonna be ok." Poe assured him.

"What happened, Finn?!" Rose kneeled down and placed a hand on his back as his clenched in pain.

"Ah...it's Rey…" he recoiled as he felt the sting of the crash on his back again. "F-first order. They got her."

"What?" Rasi blurted. "She's on Adrathorpe, isn't she? The First Order...they don't even have an outpost there-the closest were on Jakku, and those have dissipated for months, it ju-"

"Rasi," Rose said with frustration, "just let him talk. Tell us what happened, Finn."

"Let's take him to the ship first. He isn't looking so good. Don't worry, Finn," Poe said as he helped his friend slowly to his knees, "we'll figure this all out." Poe supported his arm around Finn as they made their way out of the hangar and back to the ship. Rose and Rasi followed behind.

"Look at the mess you've made." Rasi scoffed to Rose. "Rhydonium? That isn't even an exported fuel. You might have pulled the wool over Poe's eyes, but if you try to deceive me again...things won't be as simple. Not on my watch." He tread past her and walked next to his admiral before she could even get a word in.

Rose exhaled sadly, trailing behind. She felt an immense sense of guilt for following her emotions instead of her orders. But she knew that if Rey was in trouble now, it wouldn't have been relayed unless Finn had gone.

And he wouldn't have made it back had it not been for a very ramshackle but convenient cloudcar that either was a thing of luck...or perhaps a_ divine_ placement of the force.

Everything happened for a reason.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hello! Thanks for coming across my story. Hold onto your GODDAMN space knickers because this chapter was what all the build up was for. Anyways, please enjoy and follow if you want to see more! This is the part 1 Finale, but have no fear, part 2 will be coming very, very soon! I do not own Star Wars or its properties, this is solely for entertainment and adoration. With that said, stay tuned~_

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**Part I Finale, Chapter XI**

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Rey's eyes fluttered as she awoke, lifting her head off the floor. There was a padded headrest that had been slid under her head which wasn't there before, and she studied her surroundings, sitting upright. The light was dim, but enough for her to see the darkly dressed storm troopers against the walls, armed tautly.

She looked around, bringing herself to her feet. In the dark, she could make out what looked like the door behind her. Her way out. Hurrying toward it, she attempted to open it, but it was of no use. She felt around in the dark, looking for a door panel by the wall, and to her avail she found one. But as soon as she began to press buttons at random, hoping one would open, the shadow troopers tensed up, beginning to step forward with their weapons slightly drawn. Rey turned around and stopped immediately. Thinking of a way to escape, she darted her eyes back and forth across the room.

"Stand back."

A muffled, mechanical voice echoed across the chamber. Rey looked deadset ahead in the dark for the source of Kylo's voice.

Within moments, blinding white lights loudly activated, one by one, down the chamber all the way to the opposite side. With each light, the rest of the meditation chamber was revealed, but the shadow troopers stayed concealed by the shadows just shy of the light.

At the very end of the chamber with the last blare of the unnerving light was Kylo Ren.

He sat perched on a higher platform, seemingly with no lightsaber in sight.

"Rey." he uttered. His breathing was heavy.

Rey simply stared at him, with both disgust and disdain, but she repressed her urge to leap at him again.

He stood up and began to march toward her. She stood upright with her fists drawn. She was not going to be intimidated by his tactics again.

Kylo stopped a few feet away, keeping his distance this time.

"I don't want to fight." he said.

Rey looked a bit surprised.

He motioned the shadow troopers, and they lined up in formation, dispensing into a door which had opened automatically in the east wall. It had been practically invisible in the darkness of the durasteel walls, until a rectangle of light appeared and they exited through it. There was something about the shadow troopers that was slightly more menacing than the storm troopers. Perhaps they were not as agile as the Praetorian guards, but they were just as, if not more, deadly and brutal.

"It's just us now." Kylo declared, but Rey remained silent.

She had been a fool to believe she could ever turn him. He was just as manipulative as his master, simply killing him for his own vision of a galaxy ruled by the dark. He'd offered Rey a place by his side in all of it, but even without Sith or Jedi, the dark existed. And just as Kylo wore that insipid mask, he masked his intentions even more so. It was clear to Rey now.

"I gave you everything." Kylo retorted, the irritability seeping in his tone.

"You gave me an offer. And I refused. I owe you _nothing._" Rey gave him the satisfaction of an answer at last, but it wasn't one he wanted to hear.

The plating of the walls began to rattle around them and quaked into the floors as a tremor began to shake the room. Kylo began to yell as his anger convulsed the room through another force-fit.

"YOU KNOW THE TRUTH!"

"There's only one truth, and it's not going to end well for you, Kylo." Rey pertained her temper as she spoke, carefully mapping her words. She was through with his way of things. The tremor gradually died down, as the walls stopped trembling and all came to a standstill again.

"No...look harder. You will know it."

"I've looked all I've needed."

He took a step toward her, and she backed up, feeling her heel against the door.

"Don't come any closer!" she yelled.

"Let me show you the truth."

"I'm warning you!" Her threats were almost empty as she was weak from the battle before, but even so she had to keep resisting, even if it were her last shred of strength.

"Rey...let me show you." He kept taking steps toward her, until finally he was inches away. She tried to force push him with what stamina she had, but he easily absorbed each attempt, only slightly being billowed with a light gust each time.

"No!" she cried, but he was in her space now. She pushed him away with her arms, stretching her shoulder in the opposite direction to stay clear of his touch. But he enveloped her almost effortlessly with his arms, bringing her body close against his chest. He squeezed her tightly, so tightly that she thought she just might meld through him with his grasp.

"Stop!" she strained once more. His hand was on her mid back and the other on the back of her head, as he continued to pull her in to his breast.

'_The truth…'_

Everything faded into nothingness, and there was just the force itself between them. The memory flooded Rey's mind like an ocean, as that fateful rainy night on Ahch-to came into the eye of her mind. It was the moment they force bonded-and Kylo took off his glove, inching it towards Rey's hand. With trembling hesitation, the tips of their fingers came into contact and for seconds they touched.

'_Do you remember now, Rey?'_

"I don't understand…" Rey uttered, her consciousness still in the memory.

'_I gave you everything in that moment...my training...my knowledge. Everything you needed. And yet you still chose them.'_

"But my power was my own."

'_Yet you knew how I acquired mine.'_

"And I didn't understand it all!"

'_Let me show you, Rey. You have everything at your discretion. You just need someone to teach you to make sense of it, to use it to its fullest potential.'_

"And what benefit does this bring you? Why do you want to show me the ways of the force?"

'_Because it is the only way we can bring balance to it.'_

"What?"

Rey snapped out of her force-trance. She blinked open her eyes, and looked up at Kylo Ren, whose arms were still fastened around her, but looser now. She looked at him, allowing him to hold her the way he was for a few seconds longer, before pushing him away.

"Balance?" she confusedly whispered to herself.

Admittedly, though Rey proved herself strong with her abilities, although latent in many regards, Kylo knew things Rey couldn't even begin to fathom. Whether he was willing to offer this knowledge to Rey, or try to exploit her, it was hard to tell.

Kylo swallowed beneath his mask, his chest pounding profusely.

He stood eerily stagnant, but deep down he could hardly recognize what just happened. His attraction to her was consuming him, and it became more agonizing with such intimate body contact. He had never had Rey so close to him, her body against his, and their connection as coherent as it was before the bond was severed. Though he perhaps forced the memory into her mind, it was a necessary reminder that he spoke not of empty promises, and that what he had given Rey was just the gateway to what she could uncover. The more complex he was to her, the more inclined she would be to allow him to show her. It was dormant within her, within the essence he wouldn't change for the world.

He wanted it. He would bare the brunt but he didn't want to be patient any longer.

"The only way to bring balance is to push back the dark; and you're going to learn the hard way. The res-"

"Do not utter those words." He constricted his anger through his teeth as he stopped her from finishing her sentence.

"There will be no talk of the resistance. No talk of the First Order. This is just us now. Just the force, and the fate it has drawn between it. You can't deny that we are intertwined, Rey."

Rey paused. She knew it was no coincidence. The force had brought them together in an usual way. Perhaps this was once again its power at work.

"No, _you_ brought me here against my will."

Kylo pushed up the base of his helmet, pulling it off of his head. His long black hair wisped wildly out of the helmet as he took it off, and the meandering scar was revealed on his face. It had faded ever so slightly since their last encounter, but it snaked down his cheek to his neck.

"No! It was the force." he insisted. "Continue to delude yourself, and you're just going to lose it again. Everything is clear, yet you choose to turn to things that don't matter. Your destiny is greater than these small distractions."

"The only one who is deluded is you!"

"This is the only way to bring balance to the force, to choose _our own_ path!"

_'Our?"_

In a sudden movement, Kylo stepped forward, seizing Rey's wrist and pulling it toward him forcefully.

"Let go of me!" She pulled in her direction, but he continued to tug her arm to himself.

"If you don't realize your future, _then I will show you!"_

"No!" Rey tried to tear her arm out of his grasp. Almost instinctively, she ingress into his mind.

But she was horrified at the abysmal thought she had seen.

Out of shock, she relented fighting back for a moment, and he pulled her into him, his hand still hooked around her wrist tightly. His impatience was practically permeating in his every move.

"You...you're _obsessed_." Rey uttered. Kylo retreated in his mind before she could pry again, but she had already seen enough.

"You...you don't want to bring balance to the force...you're just obsessed...with _me_." Rey gritted.

"You're delusional."

"No, I'm not. I could sense it before...but now I've seen it."

Rey stared at Kylo in disgust. She had the inkling of suspicion before, but never like this. A period of disquietude came over both of them, as Rey's uneasiness set in. He stared back, not taking his grip off of her.

"If it's the only way to necessitate balance…" he began, "then so be it."

Her eyes darted frantically at him, as she tried to rationalize this. Was he admitting it?

Kylo himself couldn't imagine he was saying all this. His patience had hit its threshold. His true intentions became clear when he wavered his defenses and she saw the truth he didn't want her to see. But it was too late to disguise anymore.

He tightened his clasp around her forearm, and she could feel the ferocity of his wrist's pulse against hers. He was only the breadth of a finger away from her face, gazing closer than he ever had into her hazel brown eyes. There was anxiety in them, but also hesitation to her own objection.

Rey didn't protest, she combed through her own mind to understand what was happening, and whether she had relented the quiescent thought they both shared. It was shrouded in the likeness of the loneliness harbored by both, and it was the same fragility that kept them at peace when they shared the force bond. In any other circumstance, Rey would have at least tried to bludgeon him to death.

But she didn't, and it was that realization that she knew her destiny was bigger, even just for a moment, that kept her composed. She could feel the air of his breath on her face.

"But the future…" she said softly, still with apprehension in her eyes and her voice.

Kylo didn't know how to vocalize the way he felt; it was too impossible. He could see the unsurety in her eyes, and the resentment was stripped for the moment being, leaving her with only the consideration of what _could_ be.

His hand was still gripped on her arm, and he didn't falter, he only tightened it with each uncontrollable swell of his heartbeat. He didn't mean to, but it was a conditioned reaction to his thumping heart whenever he sought to muffle it. It only continued as the space between their proximity closed in. Lowering his head toward her, Kylo enclosed the space between them.

"Don't be afraid."

The words came out on their own, as his lips touched hers.


End file.
